"Your Highness, today's breakfast is all about bread."
"What?"
At Simon's words, Yuri hung his head in dismay.
"I'm not eating breakfast today."
"Why not?"
"I don't even want to look at bread anymore. Right, Jared?"
"Yes, that's right…"
The two had been stuck with Katrina yesterday, forced to keep eating bread.
Of course, it had tasted good.
But no matter how delicious, once it's stuffed into your mouth nonstop, it becomes unbearable. They couldn't bring themselves to refuse and kept shoving it down until their throats were full.
"My stomach still feels off."
"Should we go get some digestive medicine?"
"That sounds good…"
"Anyone seeing us would think we drank too much last night."
With sluggish steps, the two left the Duforia Hotel.
Then they ran into Laurent, who had just entered the lobby.
"Laurent?"
"Ah, Your Highness."
"Don't tell me…"
Yuri gave a sly smile.
"All night long…"
Laurent paused and looked at him. Yuri chuckled softly and continued,
"You were up all night training in swordsmanship, weren't you? Fufufu…"
Jared grinned along with Yuri.
"Wow, Sir Laurent, the great man himself. Looks like you crammed all night, huh?"
"I didn't think Laurent would be the type, but I guess your heart's racing?"
"That's understandable. This is the Empire, after all. Even Sir Laurent can get nervous."
"At this rate, are you going to the temple to pray next?"
They burst out laughing as they looked at each other.
Laurent sighed.
"Think whatever you like…"
There was a reason Yuri and Jared were acting like this.
Today was the start of the tournament.
"At this rate, you might get eliminated in the preliminaries."
Traditionally, the tournament had 64 duelists, but due to the overwhelming number of applicants, a massive preliminary round was held to narrow them down.
Laurent smiled and shook his head.
"No chance of that. I'll elevate the honor of Briol."
"Yeah, Laurent. We'll come cheer you on."
"Thank you. Then, I'm quite tired, so I'll be going…"
As they watched Laurent walk back into the hotel, Jared tilted his head.
"He's really giving it his all. If Sir Laurent ends up winning and dedicates the medal to the princess, won't he outrank you, Your Highness?"
"Huh, is that how that works?"
"Must be nerve-wracking."
"Not at all."
Yuri chuckled.
Then he tugged Jared's sleeve and started walking.
"Let's go to the apothecary first."
They bought some medicine for overeating and downed it before heading off again.
This time, their steps were more cautious.
They slipped into an alley, pulled up their hoods, and concealed their identities before returning to the street.
They entered a pawnshop located in a bustling district.
There were no customers, and the shopkeeper was dozing off behind the bars.
The chime rang as Yuri entered, and the man looked up.
"Mm… Welcome."
"We're here to make a deposit."
"What is it?"
"My heart."
"…Excuse me?"
"And my passion."
"…Are you crazy, kid…?"
"I want to deposit my heart and passion."
"If you're here to mess around, get lost!"
They were thrown out.
Yuri stared at Jared with a dumbfounded expression.
"What was that? You said that was the passphrase."
"Your Highness."
"What?"
"You went to the wrong place."
"Huh?"
"That was Hanareum Pawnshop."
"Yeah, so?"
"We're supposed to go to Hanmaeum Pawnshop."
"Ah…"
'Hanmaeum Pawnshop' was located near 'Hanareum Pawnshop.'
"They really shouldn't have such similar names…"
Regardless, after giving the correct passphrase about heart and passion, they arrived at a secret location beneath Hanmaeum Pawnshop.
Someone was waiting there for the two of them.
"Your Highness."
Yuri bowed.
Ragna was waiting for them.
"Right, have a seat."
They sat across from each other at the table.
Ragna, wearing a grave expression, closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly asked Yuri,
"Why didn't you enter?"
"…Pardon?"
"The tournament. I noticed you didn't submit an application."
"What would I do there?"
"You should win."
"I'm not interested."
"You little…"
Ragna shook his head.
"Let's talk about that later. So, you said you found out something about the drug?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Thanks to the pleasure house."
"…What?"
"No, no, I misspoke."
After seeing the pleasure house in Hasan, Yuri had a hunch that the crown prince was behind the drugs spreading through the capital.
Then the questions started piling up.
Why was he doing this?
He was someone who could get anything he wanted.
Drugs only led to corruption.
Yes, corruption.
The kind black magic thrives on.
After piecing this together, Yuri was half certain that the crown prince was the cause of the tragedy in his past life. Somehow, he had fallen into black magic and contaminated the entire Empire.
Yuri, organizing his thoughts, finally spoke.
"I investigated personally."
"I figured."
"And I've reached a point I can't handle on my own."
"A point you can't handle, huh…"
"Yes."
This was why he had called Ragna.
There was no way to do anything about the crown prince who resided within the Imperial Palace.
He needed an ally.
And Ragna was the perfect candidate.
A member of the royal family, someone who hated the emperor, and who had the Empire's best interest at heart.
"Before I go into more detail…"
Yuri looked around. Ragna's secret operatives were stationed nearby.
"I'd like to speak with you privately."
At Ragna's signal, the operatives left the room. Jared, catching on, quietly stepped out as well.
Once they were alone, Yuri spoke with a serious expression.
"I'm telling you this because I trust you, Your Highness."
"Go ahead."
"I believe I've found the source of the drug."
"You mean that stuff everyone's been talking about lately?"
"Yes."
Yuri pulled out a pouch from his cloak and turned it over.
Several blue crystals fell out.
"This stuff. It doesn't come from outside the capital."
"Then…"
"It's being produced internally."
"By who, exactly?"
"That's what I'm here to tell you."
Yuri sighed. He had prepared himself for hardships in this new life, but this was harder than he'd thought.
After pausing for a moment, he opened his mouth.
"I believe it's the crown prince."
"What?!"
Ragna's eyes widened.
A name that should never be mentioned had just been spoken.
Ragna leaned in toward Yuri.
"Why do you think that?"
Yuri explained.
After tracing the distribution route of the drug, he had identified the final seller. That man had entered the Imperial Palace, and his true identity was a shadow of Eugen.
After hearing the sequence of events, Ragna closed his eyes.
"It's not certain yet, is it?"
"The likelihood is high."
"Why would that guy…"
"What kind of person is the crown prince?"
"Eugen is a decent guy. No, actually, more than just decent."
"That's unfortunate."
Yuri spoke, bowing his head.
"In any case, whether by choice or by manipulation, I believe the crown prince has fallen into black magic and is behind all this. So, I would like Your Highness to investigate it."
"Haa…"
Ragna, unusually for him, pressed his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
If he were just an ordinary man, Yuri would never have shared this information.
But from what he had seen, Ragna was not someone who would cover up wrongdoing just because the perpetrator was the crown prince.
Moreover, he had fought in Okua and had personally witnessed the devastation caused by black magic.
He would understand the seriousness of this matter.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
"Are you serious?"
Yuri looked up at Ragna.
"Yes."
In this new life, he had never completely entrusted anything to someone else. But this time, he had to entrust it all to Ragna.
Yuri decided to trust him, and to trust his own judgment in choosing him.
"I am serious."
Ragna, too, looked at Yuri silently for a moment, then slowly nodded.
This choice wasn't Yuri's alone.
Just as Yuri chose to trust Ragna, Ragna must have made a resolve to trust him in return.
"Alright. I believe you."
"I believe in you as well, Your Highness."
"I understand what it means for you to confide this in me. So, let me make a promise first."
Ragna straightened his back and said with a dignified gaze,
"If the crown prince's crimes are revealed, I will never turn a blind eye."
Yuri replied with steady eyes,
"Thank you. I will do my best to assist Your Highness as well."
"Good."
"Shall we shake hands?"
"Gladly."
Yuri grasped Ragna's hand.
In his past life, their only encounter had been a chance meeting while sneaking around with Ekaterina. But this time, they had formed a solid alliance.
Yuri was glad he had come to know Ragna.
"So, that's how it is…"
Muttering to himself for a moment, Ragna grinned.
He was the type who could put aside future concerns for a while to lift morale and lighten the mood.
"Well, let's set worries aside for now. How about we go enjoy a fun event?"
"An event?"
"The tournament preliminaries."
By now, the preliminaries were likely underway.
"Sounds good."
***
Yuri and Jared headed to the bustling center of the capital with Ragna.
A stage had been set up for the preliminaries.
Though the crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder, as soon as Ragna appeared, everyone made way. Thanks to that, they could easily move to the front.
The announcer stepped forward and shouted,
"The tournament preliminaries will be conducted as a battle royale! Each group consists of five participants, and only two from each group will advance to the main tournament! For safety, the preliminaries will be held using wooden swords!"
A total of thirty-two groups were set to compete in the preliminaries. Soon, a group of swordsmen stepped onto the stage.
The stage wasn't very large, so with five standing on it, it already felt full.
"Luck matters here,"
Ragna remarked.
With two surviving out of five, luck certainly played a role.
Yuri shook his head.
"Survival is a skill, too."
"Well, that's true…"
Jared, who had been watching the stage, said,
"Huh, isn't that Sven over there?"
Among the first group of five stood Sven, a knight of Liberda.
He held his sword tightly, eyes warily scanning all directions.
"Ho…"
Yuri, recognizing his close friend entering the tournament, shouted loudly,
"Sven, win it!"
Because his voice was so loud, everyone nearby turned to look.
The citizens of the capital, recognizing Yuri, began to murmur.
"Why didn't the prince of Briol enter?"
"To not participate in an event like this…"
"He must've been scared."
"Yeah, he could be humiliated by one of the Empire's knights."
Yuri frowned and glanced in their direction. The crowd immediately fell silent.
Rumors had been flying ever since he chose not to participate in the tournament.
"Tch…"
And for Sven, who stood on the stage, Yuri's cheer only added pressure.
He was already the nervous type, and now the idea that not only countless citizens but even Yuri was watching made his heart race.
A moment of weakness could be fatal.
Two of the remaining four opponents suddenly charged at Sven.
"Uh, uh?"
As the two launched coordinated attacks, Sven glanced at the referee. His eyes were asking if this wasn't against the rules.
"This is part of the match."
But the referee signaled for the match to continue.
"Tch!"
In the end, Sven had to fend off attacks from both of them.
With blades coming from the right and left, he barely kept his wits about him.
Still, he held on.
"Huh?"
He held on.
In fact, the two attackers looked more flustered.
Sven seized the moment and launched a counterattack at one of them.
"Gah!"
Sven's wooden sword struck his opponent on the head.
If it had been a real blade, it would've been fatal.
The opponent clutched his head, staggered, and collapsed. He was immediately disqualified and dragged off the stage.
Then the remaining opponent backed away.
Sven found it strange.
"Wait, could it be… am I actually strong?"
Looking back, it made sense. In Liberda, he had been recognized as a genius. Ever since he was young, he'd never lost a duel.
That was, until he met the third prince of Briol in the Allied Army.
Since then, it had been one humiliation after another.
Not only had he lost to the third prince, but he'd been defeated by that guy Laurent, dragged around by the monster named Jose, and even lost to a commoner named Jared.
On top of that, he'd spent his days crawling through battlefields against those damned orcs.
Maybe that's why—
Compared to the opponents he had faced, the remaining three on stage looked so… small.
Sven twirled his wooden sword and sneered unpleasantly. He wasn't nervous anymore.
"Well, well. Could it be… I've become too strong…?"
[🚨 URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
Hello readers! I hope all of you guys are well and enjoying the reading. I apologise for all the inconvenience you guys have faced in the last few days. Ko-fi page cracking down on us very hard and blocking accounts left and right. After a long research and some sleepless nights, we have found a platform where we can publish our paid chapters. I ask for your understanding and support here. Please visit our page, and support us to the best of your capabilities. Thank you for all the love and support you guys have shown us. Use the search option to look for your favorite novel in the shop section.
New Platform for paid chapters: https://payhip.com/revengerscans
We appreciate your understanding and support during this temporary setback. Every contribution helps us keep delivering your favorite stories!]